Blackpool at War by John Ellis

Author:John Ellis
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780750951760
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2013-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 16

HMS PENELOPE

During the war, Blackpool adopted HMS Penelope. The ship, built in the mid–1930s in case war did break out, was a light cruiser. Built by Harland and Wolff in the famous Belfast shipyard, it was quite a formidable weapon with considerable fire power. Fitted with large naval guns, torpedo tubes and significant anti-aircraft gunning positions, it was an important vessel and at one point even carried an aircraft. The vessel was manned by a crew of around 500 who ‘ran the gauntlet’ in many sticky situations. Local residents held a very successful fundraising event in 1941 during ‘Warship Savings Week’ and were able to adopt the ship. From then on, interest never wavered and the local papers gave regular updates on the vessel’s escapades, bringing the story of the seas to the Fylde public. Many locals regularly sent food, gifts and letters to the crew and the relationship was cemented. The ship served mainly in the dangerous waters of the Mediterranean in which both Allied and Axis ships fought for control of the strategic sea and its ports.

Two of the most important locations in the area were the ports of Gibraltar and Malta. The Penelope guarded these vital convoys, which were the only hope of keeping the two besieged bases supplied and in Allied hands. The locals relied on the ship for food and the crew had to travel through extremely dangerous waters to carry out their objective. The ship also served other locations, helping to support the successful landings at Narvik in Norway. It was both a victim and perpetrator of attacks and gained a number of ‘scalps’ including numerous Italian ships attempting to supply the North African forces under Rommel. In the regions it served, largely under German air superiority, it was no surprise that the ship was regularly attacked. It was targeted numerous times in Malta alone, which led to the nickname ‘HMS Pepperpot’. The constant attacks slowly took effect and the boat was docked for essential maintenance, even visiting the USA to be repaired. The crew spent their leave on shore experiencing the American hospitality.

Following repairs, the ship returned to the sea where it made its name under very different circumstances. The Germans had been driven out of North Africa, and Italy was in the process of surrendering, so the tide of the war was turning. The ship went to play a supportive role in the Allied advances. The ship, along with others, supported numerous Allied landings around Italy. Despite having run the gauntlet of enemy dominated areas in the earlier years and surviving many previous attacks, the vessel was sunk when en route to pick up ammunitions in Naples. HMS Penelope was engaged in supporting Allied landings at Anzio, Italy where the ultimate objective was to flank the entrenched German defences in the mountains around Monte Cassino and pave the way for the taking of Rome, ultimately hoping to shorten the war. The vessel encountered a U-Boat and suffered a direct torpedo hit, sinking the ship and killing around 400 men.

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